Color me… Yellow

The color yellow is known to elicit a sense of happiness and joy. It also stimulates mental activity so it’s a SMART color!  Yellow is an attention grabber so a little yellow goes a long way in a home.
In addition to writing for Daigle’s Digs, Elizabeth works full-time as a Real Estate Agent with Keller Williams Realty Downtown, LLC. Elizabeth’s expertise is in buying and selling a home, first time home buyers, short sales, and investment properties. Contact Elizabeth for any real estate needs. Cell 303-819.73.71. Work 720-314-8352.

What to expect as a seller

The Denver real estate market is booming and it’s a definite sellers market. As of July 2014 Denver only has 23.2% of the required inventory to have a balanced market. This means that houses on the market are going very quick. In July, detached homes under $400,000 went under contract on average in 18 days- the historical average is 89. This is a market that we have not seen in quite some time and it can take sellers by surprise. When I work with sellers I try to explain what they may experience could be very different that was occurred when they sold their last home. Sellers should be prepared for: 

  • Multiple showings. The house I just listed had 82 showings in three weeks. Luckily the home was vacant so the sellers were not put out but there could be a number of people walking through your home.
  • There may be multiple offers depending on how the home is priced.
  • The market is moving quickly which means decisions needs to be made rather quickly.
  • Depending on the price point- investors may take interest in your property.
In this market if your house is not getting many showings or has been on the market more than 2 weeks without an offer, you may want to discuss with your agent what the cause might be. As a listing agent, I always have a conversation with sellers about how quickly the house needs to sell when we are determining a price.  

In addition to writing for Daigle’s Digs, Elizabeth works full-time as a Real Estate Agent with Keller Williams Realty Downtown, LLC. Elizabeth’s expertise is in buying and selling a home, first time home buyers, short sales, and investment properties. Contact Elizabeth for any real estate needs. Cell 303-819.73.71. Work 720-314-8352. 

What I have learned from moving 2,000+ miles

Three months ago I decided to uproot my life from Merrimack NH to Denver Colorado. I left an eight year career in finance to pursue a passion of mine- real estate. I had a number of reasons to be in Denver; my two sisters, the exceptional real estate market and the SUN. To the people that know me, this huge decision was out of character for me. I typically pursue stability rather than risks especially in my personal life. Through the last three months, I have learned a number of things.

It is scary. Even as an adult, you will feel insecure at times.

Don’t forget where you came from. Ever. Call your old friends and take time to keep up with their life. I am here because of all of their love and support.

With a big change, vices will appear. Whatever the vice may be, try to roll with it and be gentle on yourself.

There are some people you need to leave in your past. They may not be bad people but sometimes you just need to move without some people.

If you want something- GO FOR IT. Determine what you want and do not be afraid to ask for it.

The term ‘home’ is relative. Sometimes its more like a moving target when you uproot your life. Remember things will come together eventually.

Personal possessions are just things and can be replaced. I had a very hard time selling all my furniture and leaving my home but I can honestly say I have not given the possessions much thought at all. My life is no different without those things.

Be gentle on yourself. Everything has changed and its going to take some time for it all to come together. Enjoy the ride.

Be real. It is so much easier being yourself than someone else. Do not fight your quirkiness, weaknesses, strengths, and uniquely ‘you’ traits.

Trust yourself. You have made it this far, you will succeed. Do not second guess your decisions.

Know your new demographics. Overall, the Northeast is known as high strung, cold, fast-paced, direct and type A personalities. Denver is not. Comparatively, people are very laid back and enjoy life. Follow suit, its probably the best thing for you.

Let go. Stop trying to control it or worry about it.

Maintain a healthy balance between long term and short term goals. You will not move mountain immediately but have no doubt it will happen. Some days your short term goal will be to make it through the day, which is fine. Do not forget why you set out to do this though and keep moving towards longer term goals.

Give back. Give back Give back. The fact that you had the opportunity to do this is a blessing, don’t lose sight of that.

The best way to get a lay off the land? Turn your GPS off and just drive. It’s a grid (sort of) you will probably find your way home, if not send out an SOS.

Build a team. People that are better than you at things, learn from them, trust them, open up to them. Keep everyone else’s opinion at the wayside.

Take breaks. Not only when you have worn yourself so thin that you need to take a break. Take a break to just take a break.

Boundaries? You need those. Set them up as soon as possible. Create boundaries for life and work. Determine what are you willing to do and where do you draw the line. Communicate this because the people in your life do not know you all that well yet.

Listen. It is the best and easiest way to connect with another person.

Get out of your comfort zone every single day. It’s uncomfortable and anxiety provoking but eventually it will get easier. Once it gets better- don’t stop, keep pushing to another level.

It took 30 years to do something this scary and it has been a game changer in my life. Relocating to a different part of the world pushes you to a level which you sometimes can’t reach staying in the same spot. It can completely change your perception on the world and life. Although it can sometimes be a hard decision or not even your own decision, I highly recommend doing it once in your life. Now, where should I move to next?!
Kidding!
In addition to writing for Daigle’s Digs, Elizabeth works full-time as a Real Estate Agent with Keller Williams Realty Downtown, LLC. Elizabeth’s expertise is in buying and selling a home, first time home buyers, short sales, and investment properties. Contact Elizabeth for any real estate needs. Cell 303-819.73.71. Work 720-314-8352.

How a Realtor can help YOU

There are a lot of people that will often try to sell there home on their own. While I certainly respect their decision, there are a number of pros for having a Realtor working for YOU. 
  • Personalized marketing plan. A realtor will communicate a targeted buyer that your home will attract and how they will accomplish getting the buyer. 
  • Understand the psychology and emotionality of buyers and how to use that to attract more offers on your home. 
  • Analysis of the market using market trends and additional resources.
  • Network of Realtors. Not only will their be a sign in the yard but a Realtor will make sure the large network of Realtors are aware of your home for their buyers. 
  • Internet Marketing. Most buyers search for homes online. A realtor will make sure you property has an online presence. 
  • Negotiation skills. A Realtor will work to get you the BEST offer. Realtor properties sell for $41,000. Source.
  • Staging. Realtors will give you staging tips to get your home sold.
  • Liability. A realtor has E&O insurance to cover anything that may come up during the transaction. As a daughter of a Risk Manager this is a HUGE pro!
  • Meeting deadlines and completing paperwork. This task alone can be daunting!
In addition to writing for Daigle’s Digs, Elizabeth works full-time as a Real Estate Agent with Keller Williams Realty Downtown, LLC. Elizabeth’s expertise is in buying and selling a home, first time home buyers, short sales, and investment properties. Contact Elizabeth for any real estate needs. Cell 303-819.73.71. Work 720-314-8352.

Staging + Smell

Smell.. the sense that is often overlooked in a home. We all become so immune to smells in our home whether it be the food we cook, pets, clothes or any other fragrances. We become used to the smell of our home. It may not be a bad smell but smell is one thing we need to keep in mind when putting your home on the market. 

When you put a home on the market, you want to make sure it presents the best it possible can. I always tell clients to keep in mind the smell. Your home will inevitable smell like you just by you living there. You want to impersonalize the home as much as possible so potential buyers can picture their family in the home. 
If you are planning on selling your home there are certain things you can do to neutralize the smell:

  1. Avoid odorous food. When I had one of my homes on the market I made Brussels sprouts one night then had a showing the next day. The buyer actually made mention of the smell (36 hours after actually cooking). Foods that have a strong odor tend to stick around for quite some time. 
  2. Shampoo carpets (especially if you have pets).
  3. Get furniture professionally cleaned.
  4. Deep clean all linens, duvets and wall treatments.
  5. Keep the home as clean as possible when showing it (nothing smells better than the smell of a clean home).
  6. If you (or even a past owner) smoked in the home, paint walls using a deodorizer primer and latex paint.
  7. Get fresh air circulating by replacing any air filters, furnace filters and air conditioner filters.
Most people’s first instinct is to disguise any smells in the home with potpourri, candles or air fresheners. While I do think these are great ways to make the house smell nice, I would be careful with the scent used. Some of those products can be overpowering and everyone has different reactions to smells. I, personally, stray away from floral scents and anything citrus. I would recommend a lavender scent, as it is usually not overpowering and can be calming.

In addition to writing for Daigle’s Digs, Elizabeth works full-time as a Real Estate Agent with Keller Williams Realty Downtown, LLC. Elizabeth’s expertise is in buying and selling a home, first time home buyers, short sales, and investment properties. Contact Elizabeth for any real estate needs. Cell 303-819.73.71. Work 720-314-8352. 

A new approach to staging a home

I think staging a home for it to sell is a great idea and offers a return on investment. Most people are not visual and staging a home allows potential buyers to ‘see’ how the home can work for them. Staging helps people determine how large the rooms are in the house, how their furniture and goods will fit into the house and also the flow of the home. I just read this article which takes staging a home to a whole new level. 
Actual people are living in vacant homes for staging purposes to “turn a house into a home” It makes the home appear more valuable because there is evidence of a family living in it. With this approach to staging, buyers can ACTUALLY visualize their own family in this home which sometimes does not automatically happen with staging furniture. What do you think? Is this better than staging a home with just furniture? 
In addition to writing for Daigle’s Digs, Elizabeth works full-time as a Real Estate Agent with Keller Williams Realty Downtown, LLC. Elizabeth’s expertise is in buying and selling a home, first time home buyers, short sales, and investment properties. Contact Elizabeth for any real estate needs. Cell 303-819.73.71. Work 720-314-8352.